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| Prague, Czech Republic |
This is actually an excerpt from a letter I wrote this morning.
I have a new friend who is traveling through my old stomping grounds of Bavaria (southeastern Germany) and Czech right now. As many of you know, I spent 4 years in Germany. (I lived there twice, 2 years each time....each time on a different side of the country.)
Europe is a little different than Americans imagine it to be. In many ways it is even nicer, but there are also elements of the culture that many Americans find shocking or have trouble adjusting to. There is also a different perspective on history than we find in the U.S.; factors many Americans never consider...
I thought you might find it interesting to eavesdrop on the letter I wrote to my friend. You will be jumping directly into the middle...
[All of the photos below are from post-WWII Germany... notice the similarity to the Twin Towers after 9/11. We all have the horrific image of the World Trade Center's skeletal remains permanently burned into our memory. The image of that building is something we will never, ever forget. Now--imagine an entire city like that... Now--take it one step further and imagine many cities across the country, all in that same condition skeletal ruinous condition... Apocalyptic.]
The excerpt from the letter begins here:
Regarding Czech: Oh yes, I did forget that part. There were prostitutes on every corner--very true. (It is that way in much of Europe though...they are everywhere as you travel through Italy as well for example.) Prostitution is so prevalent in Europe (both government sanctioned and the street-corner variety) that I suppose after a few years I simply stopped noticing it. I forgot how shocking it is when you first arrive to Europe, and realize that prostitution is a normal part of everyday life in Europe, and a government-taxed, government-regulated industry.
What I liked most about Czech was the architecture. I found it fascinating to see how communism had changed the countryside. Especially in the Czech cities just across the border from Dresden, Germany, I remember seeing the most beautiful manor houses...then right in the middle of them would be an ugly soot-spewing factory...then more gorgeous historical homes. It gave me a first hand look at how the communists looked toward the needs of the collective (goods production), rather than preserving the historical and visual integrity of an area. It was interesting looking around at this, and other remains of the communist system, and understanding how the people lived during that era of rule.
From an architectural standpoint, I fell in love with those old manor homes. The detailing was exquisite, the craftsmanship phenomenal. It was a real treat to see so many of them in Czech because throughout much of Germany the old manor homes, and other buildings, of that period, were destroyed during WWII.
When I lived in Germany the first time, (in Gelnhausen which is near Frankfurt) I became best friends with a German woman named Yvonne. Yvonne and her family lived near Hanau, and like many German families she shared a home with her father. (Yvonne's flat was the upper half of the house; her father, Heinz' flat was the ground floor.)
I spent a lot of time with Yvonne, her friends and her family, and got to know them very well. In particular, I spent a lot of time with Heinz who was generous enough to take it upon himself to teach me German history and culture. He was my tour guide, taking me to museums, historical sites, and showing me life through the eyes of a German man born prior to World War II.
I learned a lot from Heinz, but beyond all else he changed my outlook on the war. Heinz owned a book that contained before and after photos of Hanau. The city was virtually wiped off the map. History was erased. When you drive through there today, most of the buildings in that area are post WWII construction; ugly, straight-facade, concrete-type buildings. No character, no charm...quite ugly in fact. You can see how the focus was purely on post-war life--putting up living quarters as quickly and efficiently as possible, no thought toward aestetics or architectural appeal.
My friend's father showed me the photos and told me the stories of the grand city that Hanau had been....and when I went to Czech (certain parts of Czech) I actually got to see those homes and neighborhoods much as they would have been even in Hanau during that pre-WWII time period he described. I guess what I found so interesting about Czech was the architectural look into the past that it provided, being that much of it was not destroyed in the same way Germany was...
As for the "thieves, beggars and hustlers" you mentioned in your email. ..again, much of Europe is that way, ad like any other aspect of a differing culture, over time you do get used to it.Yes, much of Czech is plagued by crime, and as a traveler is it important to stay on your guard, and there are other parts of Europe that are much the same way. However, keep in mind that there are also parts of Europe that are relatively crime free, the area of Bavaria, Germany I lived in being one of them. You will find that many northern European countries are relatively crime-free as well.
A quick story about Bavaria. About a week after we arrived, one of my husband's co-workers took us out to lunch at his favorite restaurant. It was a gorgeous little place at the top of a mountain (very tall hill?), with a breathtaking view of the countryside. Walking in through the front door, we found ourselves in a vestibule area (very typical in Germany) where people hung their coats while they dined. He looked over at the coats hanging from pegs on the wall and said, "There it is!" It was his leather jacket--a very expensive one--that he had forgotten after having dinner a month ago. I commented that he was lucky that he found it--that no one had taken it. He just smiled a knowing smile and said, "Of course no one would take it--even after a month--it didn't belong to them. That's how it is around here. Welcome to Bavaria."
Contrast that to Italy for example, where there is a HUGE pickpocket problem, and (this is not a joke, but I suppose most people would think I am making this up) there are roving bands of gypsies who target tourists. They will often use a baby, throwing the baby to you (knowing you will catch it). While you are distracted, some of the team will pickpocket you or steal your bag or purse and run off. A woman will be standing nearby who will then, looking like a victim herself, take the baby back.... There are other scams of course, but that was one of the most devious ones.
I am a very security-conscious person, but I guess after so many travels I found Europe safer than other places I have been. Does this make me jaded? I was extra-careful in Czech because to me it had a more law-less feel than Germany did though, so I am definitely not disagreeing with you there.
Did I ever tell you about how I was almost abducted in Panama? Yes, many places are more dangerous than Europe.
Back to my friend's dad for a moment....he was around 14 during WWII and told the most incredible stories about running from the Americans, hiding out in barns and the attics of vacant houses while American soldiers lived just below him...he was starving and watching them eat their food through little cracks in the ceiling. Heart wrenching stories about a young boy running for his life and sure he would eventually be killed. In that book he showed me (the one with pre-war and post-war photos of Hanau) there is a photo of him at a playground, playing with a group of children while they were watched over by one of the "Hitler Youth" on duty in full uniform.He also told me stories about the German soldiers coming home after the war to find their city destroyed, their house gone, and not being able to find their family. They would search and search, but generally they had no idea where to look. No jobs, no money, no life, many of them starving to death from epic and on-going lack of food....everything was wiped out. The stories were a real eye-opener for me.
To know this man so well (he became a good friend of mine over the years), and see the war from his perspective really changed how I see the world. As an American of course, the war was always so cut and dry. They were the bad guys, we were the good guys. They perpetrated the Holocaust. They had to be stopped. All of this is still true for me of course, but now I realize that there were faces to the bad guys. And, many of those bad guys didn't believe in the Nazi regime, or agree with the Holocaust...many of them had no choice but to fight. (Fight or die.) They were shoved into a war they didn't want, and lost everything when their team lost. The human devastation on all sides of the war (every single side) was mind-blowing and now that I understand it all in so much more depth, I will never be the same again... to put a human face (the face of a friend) onto the other side really made me realize how devastating war can be firsthand...
Well, that is the excerpt of the letter... It is just a bit of insight into what it was like living overseas. Yes, it was fun to sample the best of Europe, and travel a bit. But what I really took home was a new way of looking at the world...
If you are interested in reading more about my adventures in Germany, be sure to check out:
This one I did not write...but it is a fascinating account of an American soldier's fight in Hanau (with photos) World War II Story by Robert F. Gallagher -- "Scratch One Messerschmitt" He gives a perspective that can only come from someone who lived it.
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- This article was originally featured on RioDancesOnTheSand.com, a blog for the thinking person... Written by Rio Denali, a 30-something with peculiar curiosities, who makes the observations that many of us avoid. Full of useful links and entertaining articles, it is a fun favorite for the intelligent reader. For more great articles like this, please visit RioDancesOnTheSand.com.
